New Species of Tiger Stingray Named

Orange-black fish of the Amazon already popular as an Asian pet.

An Amazon stingray known as the tiger ray has finally earned its scientific stripes: It's been officially recognized as a new species.

For more than a decade, aquarium traders in the upper Amazon River Basin of Peru have caught the freshwater fish, whose name—Potamotrygon tigrina—is inspired by its orange-black coloration and banded tail.

Up to 31 inches (80 centimeters) wide, the species is distinct from other stingrays based on, among other features, its conspicuous colors and its tail spines, which are lower and not as closely grouped as those of its relatives.

"It's one of the prettiest species," said Marcelo de Carvalho, a zoologist at the University of São Paulo in Brazil who led a new study on the tiger ray.

Tiger Ray's Patterns a Mystery

Why P. tigrina is so striking compared with the bland browns and tans of other stingrays is still a mystery, de Carvalho added.

For instance, the stripes could be warning coloration—although most Amazon freshwater stingrays have few predators, other than the occasional crocodile.

"It's kind of ungainly to fit into the mouth of another fish," he said.

Overall there's virtually nothing known about the tiger ray—in fact, aquarium traders who catch them in the wild or breed them in captivity probably know much more about their biology than most scientists, he added.